39 Best universities for Sociology in Australia

Updated: March 02, 2025

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Australia ranked based on their research performance in Sociology. A graph of 20.9M citations received by 723K academic papers made by 39 universities in Australia was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Sociology

#25 in the World

Enrollment: 63,602
Founded: 1850

2. University of Melbourne

Australia | Melbourne

For Sociology

#26 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Enrollment: 49,000
Founded: 1853

3. University of Queensland

Australia | St Lucia

For Sociology

#36 in the World

Enrollment: 48,771
Founded: 1909

4. University of New South Wales

Australia | Sydney

For Sociology

#50 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 63,864
Founded: 1949

5. Australian National University

Australia | Canberra

For Sociology

#54 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Founded: 1946

6. Monash University

Australia | Clayton

For Sociology

#58 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Enrollment: 78,000
Founded: 1958

7. Griffith University

Australia | Brisbane

For Sociology

#123 in the World

Founded: 1971

8. University of Western Australia

Australia | Crawley

For Sociology

#131 in the World

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1911

9. Macquarie University

Australia | Sydney

For Sociology

#11 in Oceania

#138 in the World

Enrollment: 38,747
Founded: 1964

10. Queensland University of Technology

Australia | Brisbane

For Sociology

#12 in Oceania

#145 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Founded: 1989

11. Deakin University

Australia | Geelong

For Sociology

#13 in Oceania

#146 in the World

Enrollment: 34,616
Founded: 1974

12. University of Adelaide

Australia | Adelaide

For Sociology

#14 in Oceania

#161 in the World

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1874

13. La Trobe University

Australia | Melbourne

For Sociology

#15 in Oceania

#176 in the World

Enrollment: 7,500
Founded: 1964

14. University of Technology Sydney

Australia | Sydney

For Sociology

#16 in Oceania

#211 in the World

Founded: 1965

15. Curtin University

Australia | Perth

For Sociology

#18 in Oceania

#227 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 56%
Enrollment: 58,607
Founded: 1966

16. Western Sydney University

Australia | Penrith

For Sociology

#19 in Oceania

#243 in the World

Enrollment: 37,426
Founded: 1989

17. University of Newcastle

Australia | Callaghan

For Sociology

#20 in Oceania

#246 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Founded: 1965

18. University of South Australia

Australia | Adelaide

For Sociology

#21 in Oceania

#251 in the World

Founded: 1991

19. Flinders University

Australia | Adelaide

For Sociology

#22 in Oceania

#252 in the World

Founded: 1966

20. University of Wollongong

Australia | Wollongong

For Sociology

#23 in Oceania

#262 in the World

Enrollment: 31,313
Founded: 1975

21. RMIT University

Australia | Melbourne

For Sociology

#24 in Oceania

#296 in the World

Founded: 1887

22. University of Tasmania

Australia | Hobart

For Sociology

#25 in Oceania

#298 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Enrollment: 33,879
Founded: 1890

23. James Cook University

Australia | Townsville

For Sociology

#27 in Oceania

#331 in the World

Founded: 1970

24. Charles Sturt University

Australia | Bathurst

For Sociology

#30 in Oceania

#430 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Founded: 1989

25. Murdoch University

Australia | Murdoch

For Sociology

#32 in Oceania

#487 in the World

Enrollment: 22,475
Founded: 1975

26. University of New England, Australia

Australia | Armidale

For Sociology

#33 in Oceania

#507 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1938

27. Edith Cowan University

Australia | Joondalup

For Sociology

#34 in Oceania

#534 in the World

Founded: 1991

28. University of Canberra

Australia | Canberra

For Sociology

#35 in Oceania

#541 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Enrollment: 17,576
Founded: 1967

29. Australian Catholic University

Australia | North Sydney

For Sociology

#36 in Oceania

#545 in the World

Founded: 1991

30. Swinburne University of Technology

Australia | Hawthorn

For Sociology

#37 in Oceania

#550 in the World

Founded: 1908

31. University of Southern Queensland

Australia | Toowoomba

For Sociology

#38 in Oceania

#660 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Enrollment: 18,388
Founded: 1967

32. Victoria University

Australia | Melbourne

For Sociology

#39 in Oceania

#676 in the World

Founded: 1990

33. Southern Cross University

Australia | Lismore

For Sociology

#40 in Oceania

#769 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1994

34. Central Queensland University

Australia | North Rockhampton

For Sociology

#41 in Oceania

#772 in the World

Founded: 1967

35. Charles Darwin University

Australia | Darwin

For Sociology

#42 in Oceania

#863 in the World

Founded: 1989

36. University of the Sunshine Coast

Australia | Sippy Downs

For Sociology

#43 in Oceania

#940 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Founded: 1994

37. Bond University

Australia | Gold Coast

For Sociology

#44 in Oceania

#993 in the World

Founded: 1987

38. Federation University Australia

Australia | Ballarat

For Sociology

#45 in Oceania

#1082 in the World

Founded: 1870

39. University of Notre Dame Australia

Australia | Fremantle

For Sociology

#47 in Oceania

#1472 in the World

Founded: 1989

The best cities to study Sociology in Australia based on the number of universities and their ranks are Sydney, Melbourne, St Lucia, and Canberra.

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences subfields in Australia

Broadcast Journalism34

Classics and Ancient History39

Communications and Public Relations39

Criminology and Criminal Justice39

Early Childhood Education38

Education Majors39

Forensic Science31

Gender Studies39

Human Rights Law36

Intellectual Property and Patent Law34

International Law31

International Relations and Diplomacy30

Journalism and Digital Media38

Law Enforcement35

Library and Information science39

Media Studies39

Military science34

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution38

Occupational Safety and Health39

Political Economy37

Political Science39

Public Policy / Administration39

Radio and Television broadcasting32

Special Education36

Sports / Exercise science38

Theology / Divinity / Religious studies39

Urban and Regional planning36